Coding With David

  Introduction When building enterprise applications in C#, efficiently managing data access is crucial for maintainability and performance. As applications grow, coordinating multiple repositories becomes increasingly complex. The Unit of Work pattern offers an elegant solution to this challenge, allowing you to simplify your service layer while maintaining a clean separation of concerns. In this post, I'll show you how to implement the Unit of Work pattern in a .NET application to coordinate multiple generic repositories. The Problem: Repository Proliferation Imagine you're working on an approval workflow system. You have several related entities: ApprovalRequest , ApprovalAction , and User . Following the repository pattern, you might create a separate repository for each: public interface IRepository<T> where T : class { Task<T> GetByIdAsync(object id); Task AddAsync(T entity); // Other CRUD operations } Your service might look like this: publ...

  If you've been working with Blazor applications for a while, you've likely encountered Razor files and C# classes that have accumulated numerous @using statements. As these applications grow in size and complexity, it's common to see components with 10 or more imports at the top of each file. This article explores best practices for organizing these statements to keep your codebase clean, maintainable, and efficient. The Challenge of Growing Using Statements As Blazor applications expand, the number of dependencies increases. Components begin to require additional namespaces for: Core framework functionality Component libraries Custom models and services Utility classes Third-party integrations Before you know it, the top third of your files is consumed by import statements, making the actual component code less immediately visible and maintainable. Three Approaches to Managing Using Statements C# and Blazor offer several mechanisms for organizing these imp...

  As Blazor continues to gain traction in the .NET ecosystem, one challenge that remains universal across web development is organizing CSS effectively. In this post, I'll share a structured approach to CSS organization in Blazor applications that promotes maintainability, reusability, and a clean separation of concerns. The Three-Tier CSS Architecture After working on numerous enterprise-scale Blazor applications, I've found that a "three-tier" CSS architecture works exceptionally well: Global CSS - Core design system elements Page-specific CSS - Layout and page-specific overrides Component-specific CSS - Isolated styles for reusable components Let's break down each tier and explore how they work together. Global CSS: Your Design System Foundation Your main CSS file should form the foundation of your application's design system, containing: A limited color palette (6 colors maximum) A controlled font selection (3 fonts maximum) Utility clas...

  Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) have revolutionized the way we build and deliver applications, offering a native-like experience with the flexibility of the web. Blazor, as a modern framework for building PWAs with .NET, empowers developers to create robust applications. However, with increased functionality comes greater responsibility to ensure your app is secure. In 2025, security threats are more sophisticated than ever, making it critical to adopt best practices when building Blazor PWAs. In this post, we’ll explore modern security strategies, including HTTPS, authentication, CSRF protection, and securing service workers, to safeguard your Blazor PWA. 1. Enforce HTTPS Everywhere Why HTTPS? HTTPS encrypts the communication between your app and the user, protecting sensitive data from being intercepted by attackers. For PWAs, HTTPS is a requirement to use service workers and enable features like push notifications and offline support. Best Practices Enforce HTTPS : Configure your ...

  Real-time functionality is a game-changer for modern web applications. From collaborative tools to live notifications, real-time updates elevate user experience by ensuring data is always fresh and interactions feel instantaneous. Blazor, combined with SignalR , provides a seamless way to build Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) with real-time capabilities. SignalR simplifies the complexity of real-time communication, allowing your app to push updates directly from the server to the client without the need for constant polling. In this post, we’ll guide you through integrating SignalR into a Blazor PWA with practical examples like live collaboration and notifications. Why SignalR for Real-Time Features? SignalR is a real-time communication library for ASP.NET Core that supports multiple transport protocols, such as: WebSockets (preferred for its low latency). Server-Sent Events (SSE) . Long Polling . SignalR automatically selects the best available protocol, making it both flexible an...

  Building a Progressive Web App (PWA) with Blazor is an exciting journey that combines modern web development practices with the power of .NET. In this blog post, we’ll explore a real-world case study: creating a fitness tracker PWA using Blazor. This project illustrates the entire development lifecycle, from concept to deployment, while showcasing best practices and lessons learned along the way. The Concept: A Fitness Tracker PWA Our goal was to build a fitness tracker that allows users to: Log daily workouts and track progress. Monitor key metrics like calories burned and heart rate. Access their data offline and sync it when back online. Enjoy a seamless, native-like experience across devices. Blazor was the perfect choice due to its ability to combine server-side and client-side functionality, robust .NET ecosystem, and built-in PWA capabilities. Step 1: Requirements and Planning Core Features Workout Logging : Users can add exercises, set durations, and log repetitions. Re...

  Blazor has redefined how developers build modern web applications with .NET, offering the flexibility of WebAssembly (WASM) and the real-time capabilities of Blazor Server. But as the framework evolves, developers face a choice between these hosting models—each with its trade-offs. Enter Blazor United , an upcoming innovation in the Blazor ecosystem that promises to unify Blazor Server and WebAssembly into a seamless development model. In this post, we’ll explore what Blazor United is, its potential impact on development workflows, and why it represents the future of full-stack development in .NET. What is Blazor United? Blazor United is Microsoft’s initiative to combine the strengths of Blazor Server and Blazor WebAssembly into a single, flexible hosting model. The goal is to allow developers to build applications that dynamically adapt to user and application needs—using the same codebase. With Blazor United, you can: Render components server-side or client-side based on perfor...

  Unit testing is an essential part of building robust and reliable software, and Blazor components are no exception. With the increasing complexity of modern web applications, ensuring your components work as intended is critical. Enter bUnit , a powerful testing library specifically designed for Blazor applications. In this post, we’ll dive into how to use bUnit to write effective unit tests for your Blazor components and share best practices to maintain code reliability. Why Use bUnit for Blazor Testing? bUnit is a testing library tailored for Blazor components. It simplifies testing by providing: A component rendering engine to simulate UI interactions. Utilities for DOM inspection and validation. Support for dependency injection and cascading parameters. bUnit integrates seamlessly with popular testing frameworks like xUnit, NUnit, and MSTest, making it easy to add to your existing setup. Getting Started with bUnit Step 1: Install bUnit Install bUnit in your test project: dotn...

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it's here, reshaping the way software is built, tested, and maintained. From AI-generated code and automated testing to innovative tools like GitHub Copilot, developers are experiencing a seismic shift in the daily workflow. In this post, we explore how AI is revolutionizing software development and what it means for developers at every level. AI-Generated Code: Writing the Future One of the most transformative trends in the industry is the emergence of AI-generated code. These intelligent systems analyze vast repositories of code, learning from best practices, and even adapting to a developer's unique style. Speed and Efficiency: AI-driven code generators can turn a high-level problem statement into working code snippets, significantly reducing the time spent on boilerplate or repetitive coding tasks. Learning on the Fly: As these systems integrate feedback loops, they improve over time—providing increasingly efficien...